15-16 August 2016
International Youth Day celebrated on 12 August
12 August: International Youth Day
The International Youth Day was celebrated across the world on 12 August 2016. The theme of the 2016 International Youth Day is - The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production.
This year’s Day is about achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
About the theme
It focuses on the leading role of young people in ensuring poverty eradication and achieving sustainable development through sustainable consumption and production.
Sustainable consumption entails the use of products and services that meet the basic needs of communities while safeguarding the needs of future generations.
The development and promotion of individual choices and actions that increase the eco-efficiency of consumption of all and minimize waste and pollution is critical to achieving equitable socioeconomic development
Background
On 17 December 1999, in its resolution 54/120, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth that 12 August be declared International Youth Day.
The theme of International Youth Day 2015 was - Youth Civic Engagement.
Dipika Pallikal wins Australian Open Squash 2016 title
India's top squash player Dipika Pallikal on 13 August 2016 won the Australian Open Squash women’s singles title in Melbourne.
To win the title, the top seed Dipika defeated eighth seed Mayar Hany of Egypt 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 in the 40-minute final.
For Dipika, this was the first title win in 2016. Earlier, in February 2015, she won the Winnipeg Winter Open in Canada.
About Dipika Pallikal
• She is the first Indian to break into the top 10 in the PSA Women's rankings.
• Dipika came to prominence in 2011, when she won three WISPA tour titles to attain a career-best ranking of 13th.
• In the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, she won the women’s doubles titles pairing with Joshna Chinappa.
• She became the first squash player to receive prestigious Arjuna Award in 2012. In 2014, she won Padma Shri honour.
16 August
NASA selects six companies to develop prototypes and concepts for Deep Space Habitats
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on 10 August 2016 selected six U.S. companies to develop ground prototypes and concepts for deep space habitats. This will help in advancing the Journey to Mars.
NASA and industry partners will expand commercial development of space in low-Earth orbit. In addition, they will also work towards improving deep space exploration capabilities to support more extensive human spaceflight missions.
The six companies are:
•Bigelow Aerospace of Las Vegas
•Boeing of Pasadena, Texas
•Lockheed Martin of Denver
•Orbital ATK of Dulles, Virginia
•Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems of Louisville, Colorado
•NanoRacks of Webster, Texas
Key highlights
•Full-sized ground prototypes and concepts for deep space habitats will be developed under the second Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) Broad Agency Announcement (NextSTEP-2).
•NextSTEP establishes unique public-private partnerships that seek to advance commercial development of space.
•NextSTEP is managed by the Advanced Exploration Systems Division (AES) in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.
•An effective habitat comprises a pressurized volume plus an integrated array of complex systems and components that include a docking capability, Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), logistics management etc.
•The ground prototypes will allow NASA and the partners to evaluate configurations of the habitat, how the various systems interact together and with other capabilities like propulsion modules and airlocks.
•It will also provide platforms to test and ensure the standards and common interfaces being considered are well thought out.
•The ground prototypes will be used for three primary purposes: supporting integrated systems testing, human factors and operations testing, and to help define overall system functionality.
Spiritual guru Pramukh Swami Maharaj passes away
Pramukh Swami Maharaj, head of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) of Swaminarayan sect, passed away on 13 August 2016 at Sarangpur, Gujarat. He was 95.
About Pramukh Swami Maharaj
•Pramukh Swami Maharaj was an Indian spiritual guru.
•BAPS regards him as the fifth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan, following Gunatitanand Swami, Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj.
•He was believed by his followers to be in constant communion with Swaminarayan.
•Pramukh Swami Maharaj received initiation as a Hindu Swami in 1940 from Shastriji Maharaj, the founder of BAPS.
•He built more than 1100 Hindu temples, including the Swaminarayan Akshardham temples in New Delhi and Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
•He had also spearheaded the efforts of BAPS Charities, which is the charitable service organization affiliated with BAPS.
Eminent Tamil Lyricist Na Muthukumar passes away
Eminent poet and lyricist Na Muthukumar passed away on 14 August 2016 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu following a brief illness. He was 41. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
He was known for his critically acclaimed literary work and Tamil film songs.
About Na Muthukumar
• Born in July 1975 in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, he entered the film industry by working as an associate for Balumahendra.
• He first wrote songs for director Seeman’s film Veeranadai.
• Till now, he has written more than 1000 lyrics in various movies and also penned novel Silk City in Tamil.
• He had won two national awards for his lyrics for Anandha Yazhai Meetukirazh in Thanga Meenkazh and for Azhagae Azhagae in Saivam.
Usain Bolt wins gold in men's 100 meters in Rio Olympics
Usain Bolt on 14 August 2016 clinched gold in the 100-metre final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
With this win, Bolt became the first man to win the event three times at consecutive Olympic Games.
Bolt won the race in 9.81 seconds, followed by USA’sJustin Gatlinat 9.89 seconds and Canada’s Andre De Grasseat a personal-best 9.91 seconds.
De Grasse is also the first Canadian male athlete to win a medal in Rio.
About Usain Bolt
•Born 21 August 1986, Usain Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter.
•He is regarded as the fastest person ever timed.
•He is the first man to hold both the 100 metres and 200 metres world records since fully automatic time became mandatory. He also holds the world record in the 4 × 100 metres relay. He is the reigning World and Olympic champion in these three events.
•He is the first man at the Olympic Games to win six gold medals for sprinting.
•He was the first to win consecutive Olympic 100 m in 2008 and 200 m titles in 2012.
•His achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname Lightning Bolt.
•His awards include the IAAF World Athlete of the Year, Track & Field Athlete of the Year and Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.
Manjula Chellur appointed as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court
Manjula Chellur was on 12 August 2016 appointed as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court with effect from 24 August 2016. Presently, she is the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.
She succeeds DH Waghela, who retired as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on 10 August 2016. Waghela held the post for a brief six months.
Chellur will be only second woman Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court after Sujata Manohar who served the office in 1994. She is scheduled to retire in 2017.
About Manjula Chellur
• Born in 1955 in Karnataka, Chellur started practising as a lawyer in Karnataka.
• She was the first woman advocate to practice in Bellary district and later in 1988, she became a district judge.
• In 2000, she became a permanent judge of the Karnataka High Court.
• In 2012, she was appointed as Chief Justice of Kerala High Court and was transferred to Calcutta High Court in 2014.